Chinese Female Immigrants English-Speaking Ability andBreast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Practices in theNew York Metropolitan Area

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> Breast and cervical cancers are significant causes of mortality and morbidity for Asian women,and poor English-speaking ability is a barrier to cancer prevention practices. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: Thisproject tested relationships among English-speaking ability and early detection practices regarding to breastand cervical cancer among female Chinese immigrants. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used. <br/><b>Results</b>:175 female Chinese immigrants completed the survey in the breast cancer prevention section, and 35 of themalso completed the cervical cancer prevention section. Some 63% of them had heard about the clinical breastexam (CBE), but only 54% had had a CBE. While 46% of the participants were aware of their need for a Papsmear, only 31% had heard about it and had undergone a pelvic exam. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: English-speaking abilitywas strongly associated with immigrant women’s knowledge of female cancer early detection. Culturally andlinguistic issues should be considered as the first step to access immigrant population in designing future educationintervention.